Vehicle



Aug. 17, 1937. A. M. NEY 2,090,223

VEHI CLE Filed om. 23, 1934 SShets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1 if 4 INVENTOR. 'HLFBED /14. N5)

ATTORNEY.

Aug. 17, 1937. A M. NEY 2,090,223

VEHICLE Filed 001: 23. 19:3 3 Sheep-Sheet 3 III INVENTOR. HLFBED M. Na

ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 17, 1937 V 2,090,223 m m Alfred M.'Ney, St. Joseph, Mint, assi giior to Tile-2 Steel Wheel Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New York Application octob rzs, 1934;sn5rm; 749,556] In Great Britain October 61,1934 f 6 Claims; (01. 180-64) This invention relates to vehicles, and isillustrated as embodied in a front-drive automobile having individually sprung wheels. I v

Where the spring suspension ofv an automobile 5 is intimately associated with a movable mounting for it, as for example where the spring suspension supports a movably mounted power plant which in turn supports one end of the chassis as in the automobile shown in the accompanying 1C drawings, there is the danger that vibrations of he spring suspension may at times synchronize wiih vibrations of the mounting, permittingthe building up of oscillations of considerable amplitude which may take the form of a-violent shim- 15 mying ofone or more of the wheels. 2

An object of the present invention is to avoi such simmying effects by damping out "the vibra tions before they can build up sufficientlyto do any damage, Preferably a vibration damping 90 device, illustrated as a friction couple or brake,

' darnps outthe vibrations before they attainan'y substantial sustained amplitude. I prefer to" arrange the clamping device to act on the mowably mounted power plant; for example one of 3 the friction elements may be connected to or formed on the power plant, while the otheris connected to or formed on the chassis in which the power plant is mounted. v I r In the drawings my invention is shownin an automobile having a'power plant provided at its ends with bosses pivoted in coaxial bearings carried by the chassis, and having on its opposite sides individualspring suspension devices inde-' pendently connecting it'to the two wheels. In 35 such an automobile road inequalities glverise to vibrations in the spring suspension, and the err-- I gine torque reaction and the reaction from .the spring suspensionboth cause vibrations in the engine mounting. if I In order to avoid the possibility of the vibrations synchronizing and building up to a noticeable or even dangerous amplitude, with the accompanying danger of wheel shimmy, I include in the described combination a vibration damper 45 acting on one of the parts subject to vibration, and shown as acting on the engine mounting.

I prefer to utilize a vibration damper of the friction type, and two desirable and effective forms of such devices are therefore illustrated 50 in the drawings. In one form, there are a pair of friction disks, connected respectively to a supporting part at one end of the power plant and to a bearing carried by the chassis and in which said part is journaled. These disks are urged together by yielding means such as a spring washer, rxfieans preferablvbeing provided for .adjustingthe tension. In the other illustrated form a friction device pivotally connected to the chassis is contracted fiictionally, preferably under adjust'ablespring tension, about a pm secured to priinte'gral with the pivotal'support at one end of the'pOwerpla'nt.

' Both of these "vibration dampers embodynovel features of. construction and arrangement. These features and other novel combinationsiand desirable,iconstructions will be apparent from the following ,descriptionofthe illustrative em-,

bodiments 's hdwn in, the accompanying drawings,

in'whichf'g i Figure 1 is a top plan; view of, the front end of an automobile embodying my invention} Figure 21isfa partial'fsection on the line 2 --2 of Figuref'llfshowing the front: power plantsupp t; I

Fi re 3 fi a sectionthrbugh the support on the line 3%3 ofFiguref2j, if 1'. gure 4 isa'section on the line 4-4. of Figure 1, showing the bearing in which'fthesupport of Figure 2 is mounted; v

' "gure 5 is an elevation o Figure 1, showing the arrangement of the parts of the. spring suspension;

Figure '7 [is a partial section on the line "I'-| of Figurefi, showing the rubber seat foroneof the arms of the spring suspension;

Figure '8 is a partialel'evation of the rear power plant support, showinga different form of'vibration damper; and r v Figure 9 .isa section on thellne 99'ot Figure ti, showing the vibration damper in front elevation;

The illustrated automobile includes a chassis sine and a clutch and a transmission and a differential. i x I The two ends of the power plant are pivotally mounted in coaxial bearings carried by the dash I2 and the front support l8 respectively, and

f the spring washer used in the vibration damper shown in Figure 2; Figure 6-isa partial section on the line 6-6 of each of which includes an upper half-bearing 24 integralwith or rigidly secured to the dash or to said support, and a lower half-bearing in the form of a detachable cap 26 securedin place by means such as bolts 28.1 a

Each end of the power plant is provided with apart supported in the corresponding one of the above-described bearings, and the front one of which is shown in'deta'il in FigureB. zThe'end of the power plant casing is provided with a cylindrical boss 30, to whichis pinned or other-h wise rigidly secured in the case of the front support a housing 32 for permitting access when necthe power: plantrby means and having atits front endan inwardly-turned flange '40 seated the housing 32. ,7 l a Encirclingand sleeved on the stamping 36 is a bushing 4,2 of non-metallic resilient f material such as rubber, vulcanizedor otherwise bonded sainst aflat facef formed on securely to the surface of the'stainplng 34.11p-

teriorly similarly bonded togthe outer surface of thebushing 4271s an outercylindrlcal stamping 44 having at its front end an inwardly-ex tendingflange 46. stampinglu tis. clamped tightly'between the two halibeafllig "24 26; and is'held from turning thereby; 'Thus the I movements of the power plant relativiy'to the chassis are taken in the rubber 42.

Each side of the power plantcasingis shown provided. with threesockets, the two lower sockets 48 and ill beingfatthe same level'jandlhaving detachable caps llhblding sleevcsof blocks 54 of rubberfgripping the ends offdiverging formed in a Y-shaped axle; section "64f oi stamped claimed 'per'se in application No. 691,280 filedsteel An uppersocketjl, provided'withade tacha'ble cap GILgrip's the end of an fupper arm which-is shown as a leaf spring 82. .Th'earms-bi and62, carry at their outer ends a knuckle on A which the correspondingnwheel 20 is-journaled.,,

The sockets 48, 50 and" may either-he integral with or rigidly secured to the'casing of thepowerplant. v I V The above-described spring suspension is November 9, 1 933, by Victor WQKlie srath It willb'e seen that in; this alutorn'ol)ileQthere are two sources of vibrations-the spring susv A pension and the movable engine mountingr In order to prevent*possiblesynchronizing of vibrations, and consequent building up v of; vibrations of increasing amplitude possibly even eventually becoming powerful enoughto 080861118? wheel ltoshimmy, according tov an importantyfeature of the present invention 1 associate with the parts described above a vibration damper, preferably 'associated with one;of the power plant supports;

In the embodiment of Figure 2,'a disk III is secured to the flange 46,01 otherwise operatively associated with the flxedbearing or support. As

shown, teeth 12 punched from flange 48 project and the disk together;

into recesses in the disk 10 and keythe flange A second disk, 1411s mountedon the front end oi the cylindrical housing 32 (which is rigid with" the power plant), and is formed with teeth or keys projecting into grooves or keyways 18 formed g in the part 32, so that the disk 14 oscillates the stamping or'sleeve 440! the rear power plant support is encircled by a friction band 82 having its ends formed as apertured lugs s2 through which projects a, bolt 44. A spring 84 is compressed between theihead of the bolt 94 and one of the lugs 92,and a second spring 0! is compressedbetween the other lug 92 and a nut I" threaded onsthe end of the bolt 84. I prefer to tighten the nut Ill until the two springs 9i and "sleeved on the bolt 94 are compressed to approximately 35 pounds tension.

An arm I02, riveted or otherwise secured tothe friction band 90, opposite-thelugs-fl, isprovided with means such as a stud or bolt I 04 pivotally d connecting it tothe power-plant casing. The.

stud I04 may be rigid with the power plant casing, and a loose fit in arm [02. "Ifhustheoscillations' of the power plant cause the friction band to oscillate on the stationary sleeve 44;

' In both embodiments 'it will' be seen that the frictionvibration damper -damps out oscillations before they build up to adangerous amplitudej 1 I While two embodiments have described in detail, it is not my intention to limitthe scope of the invention to those particularzembodiments,

or otherwise than by the terms of the appended 1.,A vehicle..having.roadwheels, a movably 'mountedpower plant,

yielding. individual sprins suspension devices m: on opposite sides 01' the power plant and connecting'said power plant independently to said wheelsand' supporting itgupon said wheels; a chassis movably connected to and supported bythepower plant andvibration-damping means connected to said power plant and to the vehicle chassis for, preventing the building up of synchronized-vibrations in said power plant and said spring suspension devices.

2. A vehicle having ,road wheels, a movably mounted power plant; yielding'individual spring suspension devices arranged on opposite sides of the power plant and connecting said'power plant independently to said wheels and supporting it upon said-wheels, a chassis movably connected to and supported by the power plant and vibration-damping means connected to said-power plant and to the vehicle chassis *for frictionally restraining movement-of said power'plant and preventing the building up ofsynchronized vibrations in ,said power plant and said spring suspension devices. 1 3. A vehicle having a chassis; a power plant having at its ends coaxial pivots connecting it to said chassis, vibration-damping means connected to said power plant and to said chassis, road wheels and individual spring suspension devices on opposite sides 01 the power plant yieldingly connecting the power plant independ ently to said wheels.

4. A vehicle having a chassis, a power plant having at its ends coaxial to said chassis, vibration-damping means compivots connecting it 10 connectedto said power plant and said chassis and including a friction device encircling and frictionally engaging one of said pivots.

6. A vehicle having a chassis, a power plant having at its ends coaxial pivots connecting it to said chassis, and vibration-damping means connected to said power plant and said chassis and including a friction device encircling and frictionally engaging one of said pivots and means for yieldingly contracting said friction device.

ALFRED M. NEY. l0 

